Canton shows off renovated City Hall

Monday

The $2.3 million renovation project is nearly complete and city officials have begun to show off City Hall's new look.

Residents entering City Hall this week will notice a more centralized security checkpoint, a few Romanesque columns and eventually an exhibit displaying Canton’s football heritage.

Renovations are finished except for improvements to the City Council offices, scheduled to be completed in early December.

The $2.3 million project enclosed the courtyard that had been tucked between the eight-story cubelike tower and the lower level brick-sided portion of City Hall.

Lobby and office furniture, for the renovated portion, is expected to be added early this week. The public entrance is on Cleveland Avenue SW near Second Street.

Attendees of City Council meetings will pass through a security checkpoint. Previously, the screening area was used only for visitors to court and city offices located inside the tower, not visitors to the plaza-level council offices or those attending council or planning commission meetings.

The interior of the expanded portion of City Hall is largely utilitarian in design, said Michael Kochera, administrator of Municipal Court. Design touches include a few Romanesque pillars and a skylight.

“There’s going to be those who like it, those who don’t find it tasteful or appealing,” he said of the new area. “Having been in dozens of courts literally across the country, I don’t find our court at all opulent compared to others.

“I think it certainly strikes a level of dignity that court deserves ... and the public has come to expect from court.”

PROJECT BUDGET

Renovations include a jury assembly room, more space for the probation department and a new council caucus meeting room, about 20 feet by 20 feet, for the committee sessions that proceed council meetings on Monday nights.

The project has stayed on budget, Kochera said. Additional costs for portions of the construction project, beyond the original plans, total less than 5 percent of the entire project, he said.

Asbestos removal was more extensive than anticipated, Kochera said.

Overall the project came in under budget, he said, allowing the city to add portions that had been optional, including council office renovations, sidewalk work and the planting of trees along the perimeter of City Hall.

“We’ve handled this project very frugally,” he said.

The work was funded with $2 million in city capital improvement funds and $270,000 in capital improvement funds from municipal court. Another $100,000 is from the municipal probation fund.

CORINTHIAN COLUMN

Drawing attention and varying reviews is the Corinthian column outside the entrance. People love it or hate it.

The column’s price tag is $17,000, including materials, delivery and assembly, Kochera said.

The column, assembled with multiple pieces, encases a steel beam supporting the overhanging roof, he said.

Unlike a beam on the other side of the steps, Kochera noted, the column beam stretches from the ground to the roof.

“The pillar serves a structural purpose,” he said. “It’s not just some ornate piece of material.”

The column makes the building more identifiable for the public, Kochera said. It also improves the aesthetics outside and lends the feeling of stateliness associated with government, he said.

TIME CAPSULE

In September, at an event marking the 50th anniversary of City Hall’s construction, city officials unveiled a time capsule that had been vaulted on site.

The stainless steel box had been concealed behind a 42-inch hunk of Bethel White granite from Vermont.

Contents were displayed publicly, including a 1960-61 public school directory, a souvenir booklet from the Canton sesquicentennial celebration and five letters from third-grade pupils at Fairmount School.

A new time capsule will be placed behind a dedication plaque in the lobby area, Kochera said. The Pro Football Hall of Fame also plans to assemble items for a new exhibit in the lobby, he said.

POWERING DOWN

During the renovations, power was shut off for the first time since the building’s construction about 50 years ago.

Electrical outages have occurred in the past but generators maintained power, Kochera said. Power was shut down for about six hours on a weekend to allow for electrical work.

City officials, and employees with Hilscher-Clarke Electric Co., were unsure the building would power back up without glitches.

“This was a true stab in the dark,” Kochera said.

“There was plenty of holding our breath,” he added. “The main power supply in this building is the original power supply.

“The mechanics that you literally pull down, they had never been moved before.”

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